Arrival
by SamCyberCat
Summary: Two new additions are arriving at the academia of America. Ryo/Fubuki.


Notes – For the gx_100. Based in the manga version of GX, when Fubuki and Ryo were studying abroad.

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"Do you think she's checking me out?" Fubuki asked, head darting from side to side as he tried to make eye contact with the girl again.

"She momentarily looked at you after you spent the past minute trying to get her attention, if that counts," said Ryo, shaking his head at his friend's eagerness.

It was really quite hard to say how any of these people would react to them. Back at Duel Academia it was a guarantee that Fubuki would have several girls trailing after him almost everywhere he went, but there was nothing saying that the students of the American academia would be the same way. Exchange students from countries that spoke a different language were always viewed as being awkward to deal with, and even though they both knew some English it wasn't a certainty that it would be good enough to cover the day-to-day student life.

This was particularly disappointing to Fubuki, who thrived on being the social centre of attention wherever he went.

The girl he'd been waving at turned completely away from them and departed, apparently having not noticed Fubuki even during that brief moment where their eyes had met.

"Well that's just one of many," assured Fubuki, not one to be defeated, "There's plenty of others here and I might even get a chance to see her again during class."

"You probably will," mused Ryo.

"What makes you so sure?" said Fubuki, looking at him suspiciously.

He answered, "Because I recognised her from the notes Samejima gave us before we left. She's Reggie MacKenzie, one of the top duellists here."

"Then I'll have to try extra hard to impress her," replied Fubuki, smirking.

"Can we at least find where we're staying before you create a pointless to-do list?" Ryo said, picking up the bag he was carrying and heading off down the corridor. After a few steps he heard Fubuki walking along behind him.

Some of the students stared at them as they went. The academia uniform differed slightly from the one they were used to seeing, and even if it hadn't there had been plenty of talk circulating about two of the best students from Duel Academia coming over for a while. Most of them were looking at Fubuki, since it was quite hard to imagine that such a lax-looking boy could be a great student. Ryo on the other hand just gave off the right air – he always looked stern and disconnected from people, so it was easier to picture him in that role. Walking together they just looked oddly mismatched.

Every now and then Fubuki would wave to one of them cheerfully. Some people would half-heartedly wave back while others would awkwardly pretend to be doing something else.

"They're a shy bunch," Fubuki commented to Ryo.

"They're probably not sure if we'll be able to understand them or not," Ryo said, noting how when they got closer to groups of students conversations would slow or stop as if they were trying to decide whether or not these foreign students would hear what they were saying, "Our cultures are very different, so a lot of them won't have seen Japanese people outside of movies or the like."

"Great, that means I can enact a game show and they'd just think it's what we do all the time," said Fubuki, grinning.

"Do that and you're on your own," Ryo firmly responded.

"Sometimes you're no fun," Fubuki pouted, "But it doesn't matter. All I need are my charming good looks to win this lot over."

He winked at a group of female students, who descended into giggles. That wasn't too much different from back home either.

"Somehow I'm not sure that'll work on MacKenzie if you see her again," muttered Ryo, eyes moving from door to door until he found the one with the same number as the piece of paper he'd been given when they arrived. For some reason the teachers had instantly thought Ryo the more responsible of the two to trust with things like finding their lodgings.

"One room for the two of us, that's a bit cheap isn't it?" Fubuki said, walking through, "Though I guess that means it'll be easier for them to find us."

"We did come at a pretty awkward time during the day," said Ryo, "That's why there weren't any teachers available to guide us. But I trust you'll be able to find anything you deem important on your own."

Smiling over at him, Fubuki answered, "I saw the beach on the trip here, and that's something I can universally understand."

"No doubt about that," Ryo agreed. Surfing was one thing that Fubuki could do anywhere in the world, providing it was possible. Language had nothing to do with it.

He started to unpack his bag, putting clothes into neat piles on one of the beds. After a moment he felt Fubuki's frame leaning over him.

"Yes?" Ryo prompted.

"Just having a look at what you brought," Fubuki assured, putting a hand on Ryo's shoulder, "You do know we're on holiday, right? You could have brought something that wasn't related to studying."

"This is an exchange visit, not a holiday," Ryo said stubbornly, trying not to look too awkward about the grip on his shoulder.

Moving a little nearer to him, Fubuki corrected, "Even so, you're supposed to be having some fun on this. Or since you brought nothing in that department are you implying that we make our own fun?"

"D-don't even say such things!" Ryo protested, some colour definitely turning up on his cheeks now.

"I didn't say anything, your mind just jumped to that conclusion." Fubuki loved winding the other boy up like this.

Ryo shook his head.

"I can't believe I fell for the bait…"

"You're too easy sometimes," Fubuki teased, punching the shoulder he'd been holding up until a moment ago, "Now let's go out and socialise before the student body thinks we're weird, reclusive people."

"They wouldn't be too far from the truth in my case," Ryo laughed.

"Nah, the way I see it I'm the weird and you're the reclusive," answered Fubuki, walking back towards the door regardless of the piles of clothes that had been left half unpacked on the bed.

Following him, Ryo prompted, "They'll make their own judgements on that."

"As long as that Reggie girl thinks I'm fine it's all good with me," Fubuki said confidently.

Ryo wondered if he should tell Fubuki that Reggie would be coming back with them one the second half of the exchange. But no, surely if Fubuki was going to get that close to her he could find out things like that for himself.


End file.
